19980619 Dirty
It's a Dirty Job, but Somebody's Got to do it... Role Call Name Profession and Level Player Kieran McTernan 5th/5th Half-Elf Cleric/Mage Ray Chiang Grackle 5th/6th Half-Elf Fighter/Thief Mark Whisler Borgar Evenhand 6th Dwarven Cleric Matt Miller Ansrak 7th Human Thief Robert Giedt Session Summary Grackle is inducted into the Eyes of the Eagle (the Aquitanian intelligence and security service). His first mission is a local problem presented to him by Kenton Wyle (WHY-lee), director of Aquarna operations. There is a local bodyguard service called the Iron Brotherhood out on the East End on the King's Road. Wyle suspects it of being a front for a group of assassins working for the Twisted Eye orc clan. It's possible that this was a base of operations for the big assassination attempt on the palace which first put Donner, Colin, Grackle and company on the run. Wyle doesn't have enough evidence, however, to bring in the Red Eagles (the constabulary) and start busting heads. He mentions that he'd prefer they just "disappear," wink wink, but that the Eyes don't field that kind of muscle. Grackle and his duly-recognized temporary agents, however, have full legal authority to defend themselves if they find themselves threatened in any way, if you know what I mean, nudge nudge. (During the mission briefing, some geography of Aquarna is learned: the river runs through town north-to-south; Castle Eyrie, the royal pad, sits atop a massive bridge. The King's Road runs east-to-west, with most of the traffic at the West Gate. This creates a "wrong side of the tracks" arrangement, except it's more like "wrong side of the river." The East End is the bad part of town.) The Brotherhood apparently makes its living by "protecting" people who didn't need protection before. A sample sales pitch: "We c'n make sure youse don't get severely beaten today for, say, 50 gold." Wyle sees it as a perfect front: since it's already shady, they're regularly raided by the Eagles, so a "surprise" raid won't find much; and armed men are constantly coming in and out of there at all hours, so there's no way to tell if they're up to something more nefarious. An early plan involves Borgar and Ansrak playing bait by going to the Brotherhood and asking for their protection, claiming that while up on the Plateau they have somehow gotten Grackle after them. Hopefully, they can uncover something through their dealings with them. Also, if the Brotherhood offers/tries to assassinate Grackle, that sorta tips their hand as well. After further discussions with Wyle, however, it becomes clear that the Brotherhood really doesn't do much "honest" business. They're strictly small-time hoods and shakedown artists. So the likelihood that a couple out-of-towners would go straight to the scum district and look these guys up is pretty small. It is then decided that this will be a "B&E job." So they start asking about the general neighborhood. There's a tack & harness shop across the street, a tannery, some other stuff. Interestingly, there's an abandoned potter's shop right next door. The potter died some 15 years back, and his family hasn't showed up to claim anything yet. Then they start asking about the sewers. Aquarna, being the capital of a well-to-do kingdom, actually has underground sewers. They're laid out in a grid pattern, with small feeders running down into main tunnels which then dump into the river. The system is periodically flushed out by stormwater and river tides. Wyle has two sewer experts, one of which is available as a guide. Tuck, the sewer rat, is assigned to Grackle's team. He is under strict orders not to take any risks, however, since his knowledge is invaluable to the Eyes. Tuck (who talks strangely like Sewer Urchin) takes Grackle, Borgar and Ansrak into the sewers. Before leaving, they take the precaution of having Borgar made invisible by Kieran, and of having Sacred Guardians placed on each of them to alert the rest of the team back in castle Eyrie in case of trouble. Tuck unlocks the big iron grate over one of the main sewer outlets by the river, giving a spare key to Grackle. He shows the group how to wrap continual light coins in cloth so as to let out only a dim light - suitable for finding your way around, but not so bright as to give yourself away. "Yeah. Don't want them to see you coming. Very bad." He also stuffs wax plugs in his nose for the stench, offering some to the group (they are grateful). He also explains that there are two kinds of people you meet down here: crazies and killers. Apparently, there are a few people who actually live down here, and they are quite mad. ("CHUD," says Matt.) They creep through the twists and turns, eventually reaching a point where Tuck will go no farther. "Go left, then right, then look for a cracked-up part of the masonry on the left. It's near there. Yeah. I'll wait a while for you," he says. "If you get lost, go downstream," he adds helpfully. After the proper number of turns, they spot the broken masonry. On either side of it are two smaller feeder tunnels. Ansrak and Grackle look around for traps. Ansrak spots a tripwire across the far tunnel, 20 feet away in the dark (01 on Find Traps). Borgar: "First he cracks the vault in two seconds flat, now this." (shakes head in admiration) Ansrak takes a quick peek over the tripwire into the tunnel beyond, and sees a cloaked figure huddled against the wall. Then Grackle peeks using infravision (no light), and sees nothing. They decide to check out the other tunnel. The other tunnel ends abruptly in some newer masonry. In the ceiling above is a small oval hole. Ansrak decides to go up and check it out. Grackle boosts him up (silently deciding to "burn these gloves when we get back"). Ansrak, being small and agile, manages to squeeze himself through into...a commode. He's just climbed up through the business end. He creeps carefully about, kicking up some reddish dust. It turns out, after a thorough search, that this is the abandoned potter's building. The place was ransacked at some point (chairs overturned, drawers open, boxes broken into), but nobody has been here in some time, as the dust seems undisturbed except for Ansrak's activities. He climbs back down. They opt for the second tunnel. Grackle peers ahead, sees nothing, steps gently over the wire ("Gimme a Dex roll. Just don't get a 20." <19>) and into the tunnel-- CRASH! CLANG!! A cloaked figure wielding two blades leaps upon him from the darkness. As it does so, several old, beat-up brass shields that were leaning against the figure clatter to the floor. The fight is brief - 2 rounds - but is enough to trigger the Sacred Guardian and wake up Kieran ("What the- oh, he killed it.") as Grackle is cut badly. During the battle, the figures cloak swirls away to reveal that it is a skeleton - one of the walking dead. They unveil their continual light coins, figuring the jig is up anyhow. The tunnel has a side passage with stairs going up (probably to the Brotherhood building), and straight ahead is a room with a spiral staircase going down. They can hear voices from below, now. From above, they now hear slamming doors, heavy boots and gruff talk. After a VERY fast whispered discussion, it is decided that a) they have enough evidence to bring the Eagles, since necromancy is definitely illegal; b) the targets of the investigation have no knowledge of who was here - coulda been a sewer crazy, after all; and c) that sure sounds like a lot of voices. They wrap up their lights and flee. The pursuit is poorly organized and quickly lost; our heroes hook up with Tuck and make their way back to the castle for a long hot bath. Wyle, who has an office in the castle, is informed of their discoveries and immediately starts putting together a raid. The raid goes well enough. The Brotherhood is busted, and the operation is closed down. Downstairs, the raiders find an orcish shaman with several skeletons. He is killed in the fight ("I saw 'im goin' for a weapon!"), but on his body is a Gate scroll with a letter. The letter's text: "Here is the means. Ask for Sarin II and he will end all your troubles. Do not ask again." After talking this over with the spellcasters in the group, it is determined that a Gate spell is useless unless you have the name of an entity you're trying to reach. The letter is obviously providing such a name. Further, Kieran says that Sarin (SARR-in) was the name of Strahd's right-hand vampire back in the early days of Ravenloft. Sarin was destroyed, but Kieran can't recall right now exactly how. If this entity is related, it may be Strahd's new top lieutenant. Kieran also recalls a relic associated with Sarin...might have been a ring, maybe. Foes Fought Base Experience: